Moonlight Reveries By Jon Richards

 

Moonlight Reveries

By

Jon Richards

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Jon Richards is without doubt one of the most artistic new age music creators around today, his lush contributions have taken me from Pangea released in 2008 till now, some 17 years later, and this beautiful new offering entitled Moonlight Reveries, a real crossover new age and classical album that one can’t help but fall head over heels in love with.

This amazing journey starts with a piano driven narrative called The Light Beneath the Brambles. Immediately I am taken back to the days of artists like David Sun and Phil Chapman, the slow progression in an almost processional style is perfect, the added vocalisation doubly so, and leads us into the sumptuous refrains of a harp layered arrangement entitled Woodlands Edge, the beautiful crossover between Richards love of both Classical and New Age music can really be felt in a growing trend from this point onwards.

Enchanted Nature is our next composition, a more ambient track lies within the tones of this masterful creation, and in some ways I tried to capture this ambience on one of my singles called Winter Sunrise, but Jon’s soothing textures take this voyage to the next level and beyond on one of my favourite offerings.

The picturesque tale of A Moonlit Path is delivered sublimely by the artist, a magical tapestry flows through this piece, and once again that clean vocalisation is heard drifting through the woodland with the arrangement. Pieces like the flowing Hidden World, offer up much beauty, and for some reason reminded me in parts of Ravels Pavane for a Dead Princess at times.

The album is 13 tracks of some of the most comforting music around, offerings like the consoling Summoned By Starlight, with its almost lullaby styled piano leads the way to the centre of the release, where we will find Richards on his familiar new age territory, with offerings like the classic tonal delight of The Velvet Hours.

The shortest piece off the album is up next and its piano and vocalisation symbiosis manifests something lush and textured, adding a cello sound deepened the experience on Nocturne for the Wild, this allowed us free passage to a track that captured my senses entirely called, Where The Night Folk Wander, a true Midsummers Night of a composition can be found here, on this very jolly reverie.

Of Moon and Meadow takes us deeper into this forest of atmospheric bliss, with this uplifting classically styled offering, this delightfully light-hearted reverie, raised the energies of tone and timbre, with the delivery of a piece that would have been perfect for a Terry Pratchet movie.

The listener can get totally lost within the realm of this album, tracks like renascence styled Night Whispers, takes us deeper into the weave of a middle age narrative, whilst the more lyrical and Celtic tinged composition, The Crossing At Fernbrook, could be found, this manifestation can be summed up with one word, charming. This would turn out to be another favourite of mine, perhaps Richards is now making a pivot to a more lord of rings moment in the Shires with this last but one offering.

So we have found our way to the end of the release, but one last gift from the master of artistic new age music is to come, and that is entitled Lanterns Left In The Hollow. A very gentle tonal delight can be found here, in a composition that reminds me of the band 2002 at times, and is simply a lush and colourful gaze over the shoulder moment, of reflective magic from Richards.

I must admit, I totally enjoyed this journey with the artist. Moonlight Reveries by Jon Richards, and his beautiful compositional structures have got him another winner of an album here, perhaps even one of his best ever, Jon Richards is the consummate new age musician, and I believe that this album, is a highlight of not only the artist artistic abilities, but his skill set overall as a musician, this one gets absolutely full marks from me.